Everything Stays
by ghost83
Summary: Inspired by the song 'Everything Stays' from Adventure Time. Minimal involvement to not warrant a 'crossover' subject. It bounced around in my head, and I came up with this. Can be read as a one-shot, or as an aftermath when Lila gets what's coming to her. Summary: Marinette is revisited by a childhood friend.


**So... I've been recently listening to "Everything Stays", and came up with this. Hate it or not...**

**Here it is.**

* * *

_Natelie frowned, noticing that a stray butterfly was flying away into Paris... but noted that Gabriel was in his office, managing his company._

* * *

Marinette was keeping herself away from her former 'friends'. After Lila's claims were brought to light, she didn't know who was truly her 'friends' in the first place.

Sitting alone on a bench, she heard footsteps approach her. Looking up... she saw a vaguely familiar boy staring down at her with a smile, asking politely, "Excuse me, can I sit down right here and practice?"

The boy had autumn-red hair and lightly pale skin. His eyes were heterochromic, his right eye being blue and the left eye being green. He wore an autumn red shirt with white under-shirt and a faded brown pants with black sneakers. The instrument in question was a black bass guitar with intricate red designs in the style of swirls.

Marinette, finally processing his question, awkwardly shuffled to the side a bit so he could sit down. With a nod, he thanked her before strumming a few cords.

After adjusting, and briefly making her curious as to what he will play, he played a slow melody that was soothing, filling her with happy nostalgia for some reason.

The melody almost distracted her from the park's flora growing slightly faster than usual, with multiple different flowers blooming and appearing around them. However, despite this... she did nothing.

She instead began to drift to sleep as he hummed an odd lullaby.

She caught him sing as her eyes closed, "..._everything stays..."_

* * *

The melody began echoing throughout Paris, the peacefully notes causing everyone to feel drowsy, the ones that are 13 and older remembering fond memories of their childhood.

The mysterious guitarist smiled fondly at Marinette, before he continued to play some peaceful and idle music as the grass and plant-life began to quickly spread at random intervals, transforming the streets into something that resembles a back or front yard in the suburbs.

Sabine and Tom quickly found the two, realizing that the boy was an Akuma... but when the boy noticed them, he merely gave a sad smile and waved.

Images assaulted the parents, with memories being brought up. When it was over, the entire process taking merely five seconds... the parents merely smiled back the same way, leaving the two.

* * *

When Marinette woke up, she realized that she was in the middle of a thicket, the boy still playing as if there was nothing wrong. The boy stopped, glancing at her before smiling and slowly playing his bass guitar.

He began to sing the song from earlier... with Marinette joining in at the second verse with tears in her eyes as she realized who the boy was.

**_(Everything Stays by Rebecca Sugar)_**

_"Let's go in the garden_  
_ You'll find something waiting_  
_ Right there where you left it_  
_ Lying upside down"_

**_When you finally find it_**  
**_You'll see how it's faded_**  
**_The underside is lighter_**  
**_When you turn it around" _**

**_Everything stays_**  
**_Right where you left it_**  
**_Everything stays_**  
**_But it still changes" _**After that verse, Marinette trailed off as she desperately hugged the boy, who smiled as he finished the song.

_"Ever so slightly_  
_Daily and nightly_  
_In little ways_  
_When everything stays..."_

The boy hugged her back, asking her gently, "Feeling better, Mari?" She merely sobbed happily, clinging onto him tight, "Thank you... Hóng Māo..." The boy chuckled, the trees closing in all around them, "Any time... But check your bed... Okay?"

* * *

Quickly, a swarm of ladybugs flowed over Paris, restoring things to how they were... Well, almost.

Various people found toys that they lost in their childhood just in front of them.

While everyone was puzzled over the meaning and reason of why it was there, Marinette quickly ran home and up the stairs.

On her bed, there was a slightly faded stuffed animal: a cat with a collar. The tag itself was in the shape of a guitar, the words 'Hóng Māo' written on it in childish scribbles. It had button for eyes, the right being blue and the left being green. The underside of the cat was white.

Marinette merely smiled, and hugged it.

It was her first ever crafts she made, which inspired her to get into design in the first place. The toy was built by her when she was just a girl, but she lost it after moving stuff around and couldn't find it.

But it helped her remember something:

That no matter how tough things may be, and no matter what you lose, sometimes... they come back to you, just when you need it the most.

* * *

**So, um... yeah. That's it. Short, mushy, and stuff.**

**The idea is that the toy became akumatized, and turned into a human with the akumatized keychain turning into the real deal.**

**Oh, and 'Hóng māo' means 'red cat' in Chinese, according to Google Translate.**

**Review?**


End file.
